Kagome's really, really, really bad move
by Celonhael
Summary: Resting up in the village, Kagome makes a discovery about one of the hanyou in the village. She decides on a course of action she thinks will solve her problem.
1. Chapter 1

The sun rose like a firey rune in the sky, throwing a deep red glow over everything, that lightened to a deep burnished gold the higher up one looked. It made the sky look as if it had been heated in a forge.  
Kagome finished a box of apple juice, crinkling up the cardboard box and putting it in a plastic bag.  
It was hard, having to be so careful in this time. Her mother had been working with archaeologists for a while, and Kagome had learned from her all about how they could age things found in the ground depending on what level of dirt they were found in. The father back in time one went, the older it was.  
And Kagome didn't want any archaeologists to suddenly find an apple juice container dating to the Feudal Era.  
Everything she bought had to be easily broken down in soil, or else it was dragged back to her time to be disposed of. Soaps she bought were always biodegradable. Sometimes she had to travel clear across the city just to get something simple, but she had to be so careful.  
Besides...this era was so beautiful. So clean. You could drink straight from rivers or streams. How many places left in the world could boast that? InuYasha and her friends sometimes found her a little strange, when she insisted of bringing back every tiny scrap of tinfoil or plastic. Or if she saw some metal that belonged to that era, say a sword that had fallen into a river, she would take time out to remove it, pull it back from any water source where it would rust faster, and perhaps taint the water.  
Kagome pulled her legs up to her knees, and wrapped her arms around her legs, looking up at the sky again.  
So red.  
"Have you heard the saying, "Red sky at night, sailor's delight, red sky in morning, sailors take warning", DarkWind?"  
The Kageri was hovering a few feet off the ground behind Kagome. He was sitting indian-style, legs crossed, his butt about 3 feet over the grass. Kagome had gotten tired of asking him to sit on the ground and had given up. It was one of DarkWind's ways.  
It still sort of creeped her out a little, though.  
"I cannot say I have, Nushi, although I understand the lore behind it. One of my previous masters did a great deal of sailing. If the sky is red at night, it means a storm is coming, but will blow itself out, and pass the next day. If the sky is red in the morning, however, a storm is still in the air, and the waves will be very rough."  
Kagome looked over her shoulder at him, and smiled, "That's right."  
DarkWind smiled back at her. Kagome watched the Kageri curiously. He was still an amazement to her. Looking quite a lot like Bankotsu, only a little older, and a little more..._handsome_, he was bound to her by their link, a fine silver chain they each word on their wrist. Kagome looked back up at the sky.  
DarkWind popped the last bite of a muffin in his mouth, chewing, watching her.  
The Kageri was feeling Kagome's happiness. Everything was right with the world again.  
He had returned late last evening, to have Kagome tell him all about what had happened to both her and InuYasha-Warrior.  
He had been so proud.  
His Nushi had succeeded in handling the Shikon properly.  
"That is wonderful, Nushi!" he had cried, as she smiled up at him, "You doubted yourself, but as you can see, it was unfounded. With just a little more training, you will be able to use it with very few or no ill-effects."  
Kagome had blushed under his praise, beaming. DarkWind smiled softly at her, "You must learn to believe in yourself more, Nushi. You have abilities you do not understand yet. I believe most strongly there is nothing you cannot do, if you set your heart to it."  
He had been so happy to hear that Miroku-Monk was, in fact, a monk again. The monk seemed happier now, more himself. While his attention to Sango-Beauty was very obvious, it was still the same Miroku who joked and laughed and made everyone feel better.  
DarkWind hadn't been surprised to sense Kagome awaken so early this morning, assuming she had wanted to get right back into training so swiftly. But she was obviously showing no sign of this. She had gone outside to eat breakfast, not wanting to awaken anyone inside the hut by boiling water for tea. She sat down, and seemed more than willing to just sit there.  
Well, no matter. Whatever his Nushi decided, he was game for.  
"DarkWind...you said once that you would tell me some stories about your earlier masters."  
"That is correct, Nushi. Would you like me to tell you some now?"  
"Well...I was just wondering...I mean...most of your masters all had you for...war purposes, right?"  
DarkWind watched her, "All my masters were conquerors, yes."  
"So..you have a lot of experience with...you know..fighting and things."  
DarkWind smiled, "You do not have to be uncomfortable saying it, Nushi. I was used by my masters to invade and conquer and destroy. It is what I do."  
Kagome shook her head, "I hate saying they _used_ you. It makes you sound like a hammer or something."  
DarkWind spoke gently, "I _am_ a weapon, Nushi, to be used as my master wishes."  
"Anyway..." she changed the subject, "So...I mean...what was your day like back then?"  
"My...day?"  
"Yeah, you know, your...you woke up...and then what?"  
DarkWind considered, "Well...Master Tatsuo, for instance. He was a powerful warlord. I would sense his wakening, and attend him. After he had eaten, he would look over his maps with his generals. Once they had made a decision on what they wanted to do, he would send me out to destroy some things for him. Dams, mills...barracks. I would level any thing that would offer resistance to him. Ballistas were my favourite. They always popped so enjoyably."  
Kagome burst out laughing at the content look on the Kageri's face.  
DarkWind smiled at her.  
After she laughed, she spoke again, "You said...you said, when we first were bonded, that you had had other women masters too. Were they warlords and conquerors as well?"  
"Oh yes. In fact, some of the most powerful and smart warlords I served were women." He seemed to consider, then spoke, "Women warriors tend to be more...focused than men, I have found. They do not gloat over their enemies as much as men do. They see an enemy as something to be removed, as if a burr on a weapon. Men, on the other hand, tend to see their enemies as personal enemies. They do not just want to remove them, but obliterate all existance of them.  
I think it has something to do with a man's ego, perhaps."  
Kagome smiled, "I think you're probably onto something there."  
Kagome packed up some more things into the garbage bag, and DarkWind spoke, "Why do you ask me of my past Masters, Nushi?"  
"I guess...I'm just thinking how odd you must find me."  
"Oh no, Nushi," he said quickly, warmly, "I do not find you odd at all. You are a most wonderful master to me."  
Kagome felt her face warm up, "I...I just mean because I'm not a warlord or anything. I just need to learn to master the Shikon."  
"Well...that is true. At first I was confused as to why you were not asking me to start attacking villages and bringing you wealth. To be honest, I - " he suddenly broke off, and Kagome looked at him, startled to see the Kageri looking at his feet, his face red.  
She blinked again, "DarkWind."  
He looked at her, a little miserably, but Kagome smiled, "It's ok, DarkWind, you know you can tell me anything."  
"I...when first we bonded, I thought...that I had been given to a master who was mad."  
Kagome blinked again, and started to laugh.  
"I am _most sorry, Nushi_-."  
"No, no, it's ok. I just...I can just see you thinking your master was nuts. Oh poor DarkWind."  
He hesitantly smiled, and relaxed when he saw Kagome wasn't offended in the least.  
"So, out of your masters, then," Kagome started to tie the garbage bag shut, "Who would you say was your favourite?"  
DarkWind's answer was immediate, "You."  
Kagome looked back, startled. DarkWind was watching her innocently, openly.  
_He probably says that to all his masters. He said that part of the bond enforces affection between his masters and himself..._  
"No, I meant...you know...your _favourite_. Like, going all the way back to the beginning."  
"You, Nushi."  
"DarkWind..."  
He smiled, "You treat me differently than all the other masters I have ever had. You concern yourself with my comfort, my emotions. You ask things of me, instead of demanding, ordering. You have openly expressed interest in my past. _You encouraged my absense from you in that I may have time to myself_, Nushi, you have no idea how..._unheard_ of that is."  
"Well, I...it's not right to treat you like a thing." she kept her eyes on her feet. The Kageri's eyes were very intense, "You're a person, not a...a...thing." she finished lamely.  
DarkWind watched her for a second, then spoke softly, "Nushi, may I ask you something?"  
Kagome tried to look busy, "Of course, what is it?"  
"I know that Lady Izumi showed you my past. Of my origins. She showed all of you. You mentioned once to me that you knew about the Spire. But you said nothing else. Are you...are you not...upset by what happened there?"  
Kagome lifted her head, looking at him in confusion, "Upset? Why would I be upset? It was so sad, DarkWind. I'm sorry you lost your mother...or...creator...and the whole Spire...that you had no choice but become a Kageri..."  
"My...turning...did not upset you?"  
"Why...why would it?"  
The Kageri looked uneasy, "I had thought...I had never told any of my other masters the story of my life, for fear they would turn from me. Cast me out."  
"What are you talking about?"  
DarkWind raised his hand, the one that held the fine silver chain that symbolized the bond between Kagome and himself, "I had been so powerful once. I am the Eldest and the Youngest of my kind. Of all the Children, I had the most power. And then I was...chained."  
Kagome spoke softly, "Your creator had to choice. If she hadn't put those bonds on you, you would have been forced to stay there, most likely, and been killed. It must have been so hard for you, to suddenly be...bound like that."  
DarkWind lowered his hand, sighing gently.  
"True people, DarkWind, won't care about your past. Only what you do in the present."  
He looked at her, and smiled softly. He startled her by reaching out and taking her hand, "You are most kind to me, Nushi." He suddenly blinked, looking at her hand, "Nushi, your hands are cold." He started chafing them softly.  
Kagome blushed, watching him. The exotic DarkWind's hair was unbelievably black, his long braid hanging loosely over a shoulder. She suddenly wanted to reach out and take it in her hands, to see if it was as silky and strong as it looked.  
DarkWind looked up at her, his eyes meeting hers.  
"If you wish, Nushi," he said softly.  
His eyes were so dark...  
"Hey!"  
Kagome blinking, looking up to see InuYasha walking towards them. His arms were crossed, and she could see already he was angry. She pulled her hand away from DarkWind's, and smiled at him, "Good morning, InuYasha!"  
InuYasha glared at DarkWind, before looking back to her, "Why did you two sneak off like that?"  
Kagome mentally sighed, but forced herself to talk calmly, "We didn't sneak off, we're sitting here in full view of the entire village. And I got up and came out here to eat. Everyone was still sleeping."  
InuYasha said nothing, having nothing to say to her simple comment.  
Kagome decided to steer the conversation away from the Kageri, "Are you hungry, do you want anything to eat?"  
Looking put-out, InuYasha sat beside Kagome, and started rummaging in the backpack for something edible, "You two going to start practicing with the Shikon today?"  
"Not today," Kagome answered.  
InuYasha pulled out a bag of something and peered at it, "Why not?"  
"I...think...I should rest." Kagome said a little lamely.  
InuYasha and DarkWind both looked at her, the hanyou a little concerned, the Kageri a little confused.  
"You're still tired?" InuYasha asked.  
"A..little...yeah," she said trying to laugh it away.  
DarkWind frowned slightly. He was getting no sense that Kagome was tired. If anything, her experience with the Shikon had bouyed her up, made her feel wonderful. She slept deeply, and woke well rested.  
Well, a Kageri certainly wasn't going to contradict his master, so he kept quiet.  
InuYasha watched her for a second longer, "Well, take it easy then, ok?"  
"I will," she smiled.  
InuYasha smiled back, and went back to rummaging around.  
"Oh, good morning!"  
Kagome turned to see three young ladies walking towards them as they moved on the path leading out of the village. One of them was the lovely hanyou woman Kagome and InuYasha had spoken to a while back. Her skin was pale blue, and her her hair green. Instead of ears, she had soft little feathery-looking gills. Her eyes were a lovely luminous green. With her were two other young ladies. One had red hair almost the color of InuYasha's haori, and orange eyes. Two little curled horns sprouted from her head, angling backwards. Ribbons and baubles were hanging from them. The third appeared to be a normal human, with long black hair, dark eyes, and wearing a rather pale robe. Kagome knew the young blue lady was a hanyou, like InuYasha, but she had no idea if the one with the red hair was demon or hanyou. For all she knew, the human-looking one might be demon or hanyou as well.  
She loved it here. Appearance meant nothing.  
"Good morning, you're Chichiko, aren't you?" Kagome asked.  
"That's right!" Chichiko seemed happy Kagome remembered her, "These are my friends, Kantai" - she motioned to the red-haired woman - "and Chio" - here she pointed to the human-looking one.  
"We're heading out to look for some flowers," Chio said, in a very soft, quiet voice, "The elders like them in their houses."  
"I saw some the other day," Kagome said, pointing back along the path, "Before you get to the river there."  
"Thanks!" grinned Kantai.  
"Good morning, InuYasha," Chichiko said softly, peering at InuYasha, who up until this point had still been looking for something to eat. He blinked up at her, a bag of something in his mouth, just now realizing they had company. He mumbled something before realizing his mouth was occupied. Yanking the bag out of his mouth, he tried again, "Oh hey, how are you?"  
"I'm good, thank you," Chichiko said quietly, and Kagome was startled to see the young woman was blushing very slightly. It turned her cheeks a lovely shade of lavender. "It was very kind of you and Miroku to dig that well for us a while back."  
InuYasha tore into a bag of dried fruit pieces, "Eh. It wasn't hard. Sorry we couldn't have made it any deeper though. We hit rock about 6 feet down."  
"That's fine," Chichiko hurried to assure the rather oblivious hanyou, "It was a very big help. Even that much deeper gave us more water for the village. You made it seem so easy. It was...it was very kind."  
InuYasha shrugged slightly, "S'fine." His eyes were on the food.  
"Come _on_, Chichiko!" Kantai complained, grabbing the other woman by the arm, "The eldest want those flowers before they go to seed!"  
"Oh, yes, of course. Good bye Kagome, DarkWind. InuYasha."  
Kagome and DarkWind gave the three young women a wave, InuYasha was too interested in eating.  
Kagome watched as the three young women started along the path again. She saw Chichiko peer back at them over her shoulder...peer back at InuYasha. The other women said something, and started to giggle. Chichiko blushed brightly, hurriedly looked ahead, and kept walking.  
Kagome blinked.  
_~Nushi? Is something the matter?~  
~I think maybe Chichiko has something for InuYasha.~  
~Well, it shouldn't come as a surprise. InuYasha-Warrior is handsome, after all. Striking in appearance...wouldn't you say?~_  
Kagome looked at InuYasha, who had finished the fruit, and was now working on something else.  
_~Yeah...he is. Very striking, with that hair and those eyes...~_  
She was suddenly taken back to a few nights ago, in the cave, when she had awoken on his lap, his arms around her. It had been so nice, and warm...  
DarkWind's voice came to her, _~His eyes are most expressive, are they not? I imagine it's hard for InuYasha-Warrior to hide anything, especially from you.~_  
They _were_ expressive...and sometimes, they could be so warm...  
Kagome suddenly pulled back from her thoughts, almost violently. She turned, and gave DarkWind such a hard glare, the Kageri seemed to wither.  
_~What do you think you're doing?!~  
~Doing? Nushi, I am merely talking to you, of course. You said-~  
~Stop it.~_  
Kagome's mental voice was so sharp, DarkWind faltered. He blinked at her, alarmed.  
_~Nushi, I just-~  
~I know what you 'just', and I want you to stop it. Now.~_  
Suddenly feeling miserable, DarkWind nodded, contrite, _~Yes, Nushi, of course. Forgive me.~_  
InuYasha happened to glance up at that moment, and blinked at Kagome, who was glaring across the path into the forest as if she could kill someone with her eyes alone. InuYasha looked across the path, saw nothing, then back to her, "Hey, what's wrong?"  
"What? Oh..nothing."  
"Don't give me that, you look like you want to bite someone. What's wrong?"  
"I said nothing, let it go."  
He frowned, "What's your problem?"  
Kagome glared at him, "Do you want me to "sit" you six feet under!?"  
InuYasha blinked, and leaned back, hands out, "Alright, alright, sorry! I only asked!"  
Kagome sighed, passing a hand over her face, "Sorry, I'm sorry. Is there anything else you want to eat? I could go back into the hut-"  
"No, this is fine," InuYasha glanced at her warily. He wouldn't have asked for anything now if he were starving to death.  
His confusion only grew greater when he glanced at DarkWind, and saw the Kageri looking unhappily at his feet. Something had obviously happened between them. He cursed the fact they could talk mentally to each other...  
...but the look Kagome had given DarkWind only made InuYasha feel better.

The day passed simply, InuYasha and the others were trying to decide what their next course of action should be. Once the Shikon had been completed, their need to wander about suddenly stopped. Then they learned of the Twilight War, and Keimetsu. For a while, they had been busy simply trying to stem the damage these things had created, and were kept busy that way. Now things seemed oddly slow, and no one really knew what to do.  
InuYasha's opinion was that they should go hunting around, try to find the other Shadelings now, and take them out. Now that the SolarFlare was there within his reach, he was more than eager to get out there and kill every last one of them.  
He sat in the shade of a tree, looking down at the sheathed Tetsusaiga, although he wasn't seeing it. Instead, he was lost in thought.  
_I swore I'd get Neith for what he did to us. To me. And I did. He's dead._  
He felt a powerful, almost savage glee that he had finally rid the world of the Shadeling that had brought so much misery to himself and his friends.  
_He made me believe I was alone. That my friends had abandoned me.  
He made Kagome think she was crazy, living in a house for insane people, where she was being tortured-_ his hand tightened on the scabbard of the Tetsusaiga - _Made Miroku think we had all been slain, that his attempt to keep my hanyou secret safe had in fact gotten me killed. That our souls were wandering on the other side, lost.  
Made Sango think she was alone. Her father was alive, and thought she had become possessed by a demon. He was going to kill her._  
InuYasha clenched his jaw.  
_Kagome and Miroku were going to kill themselves. Kagome to be free of that insane place. Miroku, to try and save us from a fate worse than death. Sango was going to let her father burn her alive because she couldn't go on with us as enemies...even Shippo had thought we were all dead, and was alone. He was going to let me kill him so he could join us._  
InuYasha made a fist, _I thought it would feel different though. I'm glad I got the bastard, glad I killed him. But I had wanted to...make him pay for it. Really make him regret what he did._  
But the fight had been too fast. It had been all over too soon.  
He sighed. Maybe it was for the best anyway. Miroku was always saying living only for revenge ruined you inside. It turned you into a monster.  
He suddenly remembered seeing himself in Neith's alternate world, with the power Neith had offered him. He had been a Shogun. A warlord. He had had everything.  
Except them.  
The image of the broken Hiraikotsu, in the pile of mangled bodies and weapons.  
InuYasha muttered a curse, and stood up.  
_The bastard is dead, and he's __**still**__ pushing my buttons. Damnit!_  
Movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he turned to see Kagome walking along the path leaving the village. DarkWind was walking with her, slightly behind her. He had just been thinking maybe he would go search her out...sometimes talking to Kagome put his thoughts in order better.  
Sometimes...just being near her did.  
_Doesn't he __**ever**__ leave her side?_  
He turned, starting to walk after them. He turned a corner, and bumped into someone, nearly taking them off their feet.  
Hanyou reflexes responded, and he reached out, grabbing the person before they fell. He blinked to see Chichiko looking at him, rather startled. Two baskets lay at her feet, one was closed with a cloth tucked into it.  
"Uh, sorry!" InuYasha let her arm go after helping her regain her balance, "Didn't hurt you, did I?"  
Chichiko blushed brightly, shaking her head, "No, I'm ok. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have just walked around the corner like that."  
InuYasha bent and picked up the baskets, "You can't help walking. Here."  
"Thank you," she said softly. She smiled up at him, her cheeks bright lavender where she blushed brightly, "Actually, I was looking for you."  
InuYasha had been looking where Kagome and DarkWind had vanished down over a little hill. He knew where they were headed, towards the little area Kagome went to for target practice lately. Blinking, he looked down at the hanyou woman, "Me?"  
"Yes. The healer of the village asked me to go and collect some red mushrooms. We're almost out, and they're very useful to have on hand. The tea helps people sleep, so it's very useful for sickness or stress. They have to be dried, and when they do, they shrink."  
"Uh...ok," InuYasha nodded, not sure where this was going, or why she needed to tell him.  
"The only place they grow is in a small valley that's about an hour from here. Kagome told me to come and find you, that you could escort me."  
InuYasha blinked, "She said what?"  
Chichiko suddenly looked uneasy, "Is...is that a problem? Oh dear, I shouldn't have asked, it's so forward of me. But Kagome said there were people outside the village...called Shades, and that I shouldn't go alone." She blushed brightly again, "Please, forgive me for asking, I-"  
InuYasha tried to hide his annoyance. It wasn't Chichiko's fault Kagome hadn't bothered to mention this little fact to _him_. He glared in the direction he had last seen her. She could have at least _told_ him she was volunteering him for something!  
He sighed, "No, she's right. It's not safe."  
"I...I wouldn't bother you," Chichiko said softly, "I'd ask someone else, but Kagome said you were the only one who could fight off the Shades."  
InuYasha looked back to Chichiko, "She said that?"  
Chichiko nodded, "She said there was no one I'd be safer with, than if I went with you."  
InuYasha looked again towards where he had last seen Kagome, feeling a warmth settle inside him. She had said that?  
Well...that was a bit better. It made sense that Kagome would ask _him_ to go, if she were worried about the Shadelings...  
Head swelled a little, he felt magnanimous towards the smaller woman, and nodded, "Alright. You lead."  
Chichiko's face lit up, and she smiled sweetly, "Thank you, InuYasha, I really appreciate this."


	2. Chapter 2

Aiming down the shaft of the arrow, Kagome slowed her breathing, and then released.  
As usual, she almost felt as if a part of herself flew with the arrow, smacking into the target with a satisfying thud.  
Bulls-eye.  
Grinning, she lowered the bow. That was four bulls-eyes she had hit so far. And she felt she was just getting started.  
"Excellent once again, Nushi!" DarkWind called out. He was perched up in a tree, watching her.  
From his position, he had watched as InuYasha and the hanyou woman named Chichiko had left the village together, walking in the opposite direction.  
It made the Kageri feel a bit odd, watching the hanyou leave like that.  
InuYasha and his Nushi almost always did everything together. It was strange seeing them so far apart like this.  
He had been silent as she had talked to Chichiko, not sure what she was doing. It seemed his Nushi was trying very hard to impress the other woman as to InuYasha's abilities. While DarkWind knew Kagome was proud of InuYasha, she seemed very intent about it.  
"Oh, no, I couldn't," Chichiko had said, blushing, "I couldn't just ask him to come all the way out there with me to defend me. I hardly know him. And it's so far for him to walk..."  
Kagome and the other woman were standing just inside Chichiko's little house, talking. Kagome had seen Chichiko getting ready to leave the village, when she had suddenly struck up a conversation. Things had progressed towards the hanyou very swiftly.  
"Trust me, he won't mind at _all_," Kagome had said, startling DarkWind, "He might _pretend_ to be a little put-out, but that's just his way."  
DarkWind watched Kagome, _There cannot be more than one InuYasha-Warrior, can there?_  
"InuYasha likes to be needed, and with those Shadelings out there, you never know what might happen."  
"But, Kagome, I can't just insist he come out there and protect _me_. Why should he risk himself for me?"  
"InuYasha would love nothing more that to be able to find another of those things," Kagome said, "So this will allow him to hunt around for any sign of them while he's keeping an eye on you. Two birds with one stone, and all of that. There is no one out there who could protect you better from one of those Shadelings than InuYasha! He's tough, he's strong, he's powerful, he really knows how to fight!"  
"I...I don't know, Kagome."  
"Oh come on," Kagome smiled, "You'll be doing me a favor! Besides, think how nice it would be, you and him, just out walking in the forest!"  
Chichiko turned such a bright lavender, Kagome was afraid she had maybe killed the young woman for a second, _"Wh-what?"_  
"I mean-" Kagome tried to backtrack a little, "There's nothing wrong with going for a nice walk in the forest with a handsome guy, right?"  
Poor Chichiko looked like she might faint.  
_~Nushi?~_ DarkWind asked, confused.  
Chichiko looked at Kagome miserably, then spoke, "You...you've noticed, haven't you?"  
"Uh...I...noticed what?" Kagome tried to smile innocently, and failed.  
Chichiko's face burned, and she buried her face in her hands, "I'm so embarassed. My friends have been teasing me so much."  
Kagome's heart went out to the other woman, "There's nothing wrong with liking someone, Chichiko. It happens to all of us."  
Chichiko lowered her hands, peeping at Kagome over her fingertips, "He's so handsome. I can't help but just stare at him."  
"Aren't...I mean..." Kagome tried to find the right words, but failed, and struggled on, "I mean, this entire village is full of handsome hanyou and demons. Haven't you...?"  
"Oh yes, but InuYasha is..." she blushed brighter.  
_I guess even other hanyou find him handsome,_ she thought, and felt oddly strange.  
"It's his eyes, and his hair," Chichiko said, "And the way he walks, and talks. He's so vivid. I don't just mean his clothing, it's his _spirit, his soul_. It's so _bright_."  
"Alright, _alright_," Kagome said, feeling oddly testy, "So...go and talk to him. Tell him _I_ asked him to escort you. He won't mind, really."  
"Is he..." Chichiko fell silent.  
"Chichiko?"  
"Is he...with anyone, Kagome?"  
Kagome fell silent for a second, and Chichiko spoke again, "Aren't the two of you.."  
"What?" Kagome blinked, "Wh-Where did you get that idea?"  
"I've seen you two together so much," Chichiko said, "And he always seems to be watching you, keeping an eye on you. "  
Kagome said nothing.  
Chichiko continued, "If one of the other villagers approaches you...I mean a man, of course...he stops what he's doing and watches them closely."  
"He...he does?"  
Chichiko nodded, "It's the feeling in the village that you're off-limits among the men here."  
Kagome just stared, feeling like a gaping fish.  
"When you returned to our village right after you lost the demon slayer...a friend said he saw the two of you in the backyard, on a boulder, embracing."  
"Oh that," Kagome half laughed, trying to brush it away, "We were mouring Sango, and needed comfort. We're just friends, that's all. _InuYasha isn't in love with anyone."_  
"You're sure?"  
"Yep!"  
"Ok then," Chichiko blushed brightly again, just thinking about how bold she was being, but started getting ready, "I'll pack us a lunch, we will be out there a little while."  
"Good idea!" Kagome said, as she slipped out the door.  
Kagome started walking across the yard, getting her things to go out to practice her archery, when DarkWind interrupted her thoughts.  
"Ah...Nushi...?"  
"Yes?"  
"May I ask...what is it you are doing?"  
Kagome looked at him, as she stepped up into her own little hut, "What do you mean, I'm getting my bow and arrows."  
"No, I mean...with Chichiko."  
Kagome slid the bow over her shoulder, "Oh. Well, you were there. She should have someone keeping an eye on her, the Shadelings could be out there anywhere."  
"Well...yes...but...it sounded...strange."  
"Strange?"  
"It sounded...as if you were...pushing InuYasha-Warrior and Chichiko together."  
Kagome looked in her quiver, counting her arrows, "Don't be silly, why on earth would I do that?"  
DarkWind watched her face, uneasy, "Nushi..."  
Kagome looked at him, putting her hands on her hips, "What? What is it?"  
"You told Chichiko that InuYasha-Warrior was not in love with anyone."  
Kagome pulled the bow from her shoulder, and started checking it over closely, as if searching for any little cracks or nicks. DarkWind knew it was a motion she was using to avoid meeting his eyes, "Yes...I suppose...I shouldn't have done that. But..if Chichiko and InuYasha hit it off-"  
DarkWind looked shocked, _"Nushi?"_  
Kagome kept talking, "_If_ they hit it off, I'm hoping Kikyo will just go away or something. She's not good for him. InuYasha would be happier here, with other hanyou. He'd be accepted, and wouldn't have to worry about fitting in and things. I mean...Kikyo might have loved him once, but anyone who claims they still love someone and yet want to force them to go to _hell_ with them, well, there's something _seriously_ wrong with that person, don't you think? I mean, that's hardly what I would consi-"  
"Nushi, what about _you_?!"  
Kagome blinked at DarkWind, confused, "I don't want InuYasha to go to hell!"  
"No, Nushi, that's not what I mean! What about you and InuYa-."  
_"That's over, DarkWind!_", Kagome's voice was suddenly furious, "Stop bringing it up!"  
"But-"  
_"I mean it! Now!_"  
DarkWind looked miserable, "Yes, Nushi."  
Kagome angrilly shoved the bow up onto her shoulder, and glared at him. The Kageri looked so miserable, she relented slightly, and spoke, "Look. InuYasha and I are just friends. _That's it_. But I still care about him as a friend. And as a friend, I'd like to see him with someone who's nice and kind and sweet and caring. Chichiko fits all that, and she's so cute too! As a hanyou, she's a perfect match for him! Don't you see, this is perfect! He'll have a reason to come back here, to visit her, and so he'll have a good place to stay! Everyone here likes him already! And she'll certaintly care for him better than Kikiyo would. It's the best of all things!"  
"But..."  
"Now what?" Kagome asked, exasperated. Her plan was so perfect, why was DarkWind ruining it?  
"But what will InuYasha-Warrior say? He does not seem to me to be the kind of person who would appreciate having everything set up for him like this."  
"Well I'm not going to _tell him_," Kagome said, "I'm sure everything will just happen on it's own, you'll see!"  
Kagome opened the door, and slipped outside. DarkWind watched her for a second.  
_Nushi, I have a terrible feeling about this. This is all going to go very badly. You are trying to shove InuYasha-Warrior onto someone else so you do not have to face your growing feelings for him. But you are not taking into consideration InuYasha-Warrior's emotions in all this._  
With a deep sigh, the Kageri followed her outside.  
Now they were here, practicing. Or rather, she was, and he was watching.  
He was also confused as to why his Nushi wasn't practicing with the Shikon. Her archery was obviously well enough, so why wasn't she working on the Shikon? With a little more practice, she would probably be very efficient with it.  
DarkWind looked down at Kagome, as she lined up another arrow.  
Uneasily, DarkWind closed his eyes, and centered his thoughts, and moved along the link he shared with Kagome. He moved along it easily, picturing it as a silver cord that linked them together. His thoughts moved along it, until he came to Kagome.  
DarkWind paused.  
As Kageri, he could easily enter his master's thoughts and read them. It was what was expected of him, in order to carry out the wishes of his master without his master having to bother telling him. If his master, usually a warlord, was in the middle of explaining his plans to his generals, and suddenly started feeling hungry, DarkWind would see to it that the cook started preparing something, so that his hot meal would be ready the moment he was free. Likewise, if his master suddenly started feeling annoyed towards someone, it was DarkWind who would step in and remove that person from his master's presence. Peacefully, if possibly, forcefully, if not. His master would not have to concern himself with such a trivial thing, and DarkWind would free up his master for other things.  
Nushi-Kagome was different.  
She had clearly stated that she didn't want him in her head, reading her thoughts. She held her thoughts private, and had never really mastered being able to keep him out in a general manner. Instead she had put up massive walls to keep her thoughts private. It was similar to searching someone's mind for something, and suddenly encountering two massive steel doors that were heavily locked.  
It was unnatural, but DarkWind obeyed her, and stayed out.  
It had only been a very short time, however, before he had discovered that he was able to bypass those doors. It was akin to turning himself into smoke and slipping through some cracks. But because she did not want him in there, he always kept a healthy distance from them.  
But now...  
She needed help, and he wanted to give it to her. But she refused to talk about anything. She kept her Kageri out, so how was her Kageri to do what he was supposed to do?  
DarkWind slipped past her defenses, feeling both a twinge of guilt, and a shiver of fear. It was just more evidence of how he had changed since he had become _Broken_. He should not even be _capable_ of doing this, and yet he was. Never mind the fact he was feeling swamped with guilt, it should have been impossible. Kagome taking him back as Kageri saved him from the fate that awaited the Broken Ones, but he wasn't completely cured. He was still lacking things he should have.  
_I do this for Nushi_, he reminded himself, and pushed on.  
DarkWind loved the few times he was able to touch his Nushi's mind. Each Master had a different mindset. Most of them, being warlords or Shogun, had martial minds. Very rigid and structured. They were stark with necessity.  
Kagome's mind was different. It was softer, warmer. And rather messy, as thoughts just popped unbidden into her head, clamouring for attention. He had been fascinated by the complex ebb and tide of emotions and feelings, thoughts and ideas. It was like being awash in a warm, happy, sea. There were times he felt he could just lay there, listening to the hum of her thoughts and emotions, and remained happy forever.  
Now, though...now her thoughts were very disjointed and complex. The once gentle sea of emotions was more like a sea expecting a storm. She was tense, upset. Unhappy. And trying very hard to pretend she wasn't, even to herself. She refused to deal with the fact she was coming to love the hanyou again. She _hated_ that fact, wanted it to die and go away. She desperately did not _want_ to love him. And in growing desperate, she was trying to find someone else for him. She cared enough that she wasn't just going to throw him at anyone, and did consider this Chichiko a wonderful match for InuYasha-Warrior. But she was unhappy.  
Because way down very deep, she was upset she was doing this. Telling another woman to try for the hanyou's heart.  
_Oh Nushi_, DarkWind thought sadly, _You must stop this. You will only cause yourself grief._  
Sighing, the Kageri pushed past those emotions and thoughts, and went looking for the ones surrounding the Shikon.  
He found them easily, for they were near the surface.  
She was still afraid of the Shikon. The fact she had died, and it had brought her back, using her almost as a puppet, had marked her deeply. That fear, that memory, would never really fade. Anytime she used the Shikon, she would always be wary of it.  
Well...that was good. It was always good to be wary of a power that was sentient in it's own right. They, in fact, had to learn to work together. Kagome could never really _force_ the Shikon to do anything it didn't want to. They always had to be in unison. But she had already done well, why did she not want to continue practicing with it?  
He searched a little deeper.  
DarkWind picked his way through different thoughts. Some were recent, like how it felt to hold the bow, others were distant, such as wondering what to eat later when she got hungry. The Kageri picked his way through as if he were in an ocean, using currents to pull him along.  
When he finally found it, he fell silent, not knowing what to say.  
The thought was there, the feeling. The emotion.  
Kagome's thoughts.  
_~If I keep practicing, eventually, I'll get better with the Shikon.  
I won't need to practice anymore.  
I won't need DarkWind anymore.  
He'll leave.~_  
DarkWind hovered in the wamrth of Kagome's mind, feeling confused and unsure. For the first time in his life as a Kageri, he had no idea what to do. What to say. How to guide Kagome in this.  
DarkWind withdrew from Kagome's mind, pulled back into his own body. He opened his eyes, looking down at the young woman as she pulled her arrows from the target.  
_Nushi...you are __**supposed**__ to learn what you need to know, and then let me go. I am just Kageri. I know my time with you is limited...that is how it works._  
But he knew his Nushi. Knew her heart. She had befriended him, and now did not want to let him go.  
In fact...he was starting to think there was more than friendship in her heart for him.  
DarkWind had no idea what to do. He did not know how to counsel her. It wasn't his place to tell her she _had_ to learn the Shikon and then let him go, for she needed to know how to use it properly. It wasn't his place to give her such a command.  
And worse...  
_I...do not...want to go._  
Nushi-Kagome and her friends had opened their hearts to him. Even InuYasha-Warrior treated him as more of a person now, rather than a thing. He would miss them all, so very much. He would never know if Miroku-Monk ever truly told Sango-Beauty of his love for her...he would never know if Sango-Beauty ever took the monk into her heart. Would never know what would happen to Shippo-Child, or even the old woman, Kaede.  
He would never know how the Twilight War ended on this plain.  
_I have never cared before,_ DarkWind thought, _Once my time was complete, I left, willingly enough, and did not care what happened to my masters, or those around them._  
He watched Kagome.  
_I...do not want to leave her. I need to know what will happen between her and InuYasha-Warrior, and I fear it will not be resolved before I must go.  
Besides, I...  
I do not want to leave Kagome._  
DarkWind took his braid in his hand, and tugged it, unhappily. His feelings for the human woman were more than his love of a master, he was starting to suspect. The fact he had been Broken, and taken back...it had done something to him. When she had thought this morning about touching his braid...he had suddenly found he very much wished to have her do so. To watch her face as she touched his hair.  
DarkWind put a hand to his face.  
_Never have I felt like this about any of my Nushis. All my female masters, I have loved, yes, but I have always been aware it was my duty as Kageri to love them. As if I had always been aware of the edges of my love. But not now. I fear this is different. And I have no one to speak to about this._  
He lowered his hand, and looked back towards the village, _I will speak with her again. Tristar. She used to be Kageri once. Perhaps she will know more about this...phase...I am in. And if she does not, I will ask Nushi if I may speak to the Lady Izumi. She may know more._  
DarkWind looked towards the east, where InuYasha and Chichiko had dissapeared a while back.  
He would wish for all this to straighten itself out...if he had any idea just what to wish for.


	3. Chapter 3

"I've never seen so many mushrooms in one place!" Chichiko exclaimed, setting her basket down.  
The small valley they had come to was a mixture of green and red; grass, and mushrooms. The small red mushrooms with white spots seemed to be in every nook and cranny they could grow in.  
InuYasha leaned against a tree, hands behind his head, watching, "Weird to find so many in one spot like this."  
Chichiko was already using a small knife to cut them close to the ground, placing them into the smaller basket, "Well, we don't often get to come out here, so it's been a while since we last came here." She smiled at him, "Thank you again so much for coming with me out here."  
InuYasha shrugged non-commitally. The more mushrooms there were, the faster they could fill up the basket and return. He wanted to see what Kagome and DarkWind were up to. Maybe he could just drop in. If he went there with the specific purpose of going to see what was going on, he was sure Kagome would get angry. Say he was spying on her.  
That always made him feel like asking, "Why would you call it 'spying' if you're not doing anything wrong?!"  
Chichiko spoke, "You and your friends came to our village several months back. That was when we all first met. Forgive me for asking, but, where do you come from? I have never seen you before."  
InuYasha shrugged again, "We were just kinda wandering around. Our travels never took us this far south, so it was only by accident we came this way."  
"Just wandering around?"  
"Yeah," InuYasha still didn't like telling people about the Shikon. He had already decided not to use it to become full demon, but he didn't like the thoughts of people knowing Kagome carried it. Demons still wanted it. And some non-demons, too.  
InuYasha was suddenly taken back to a night months ago, when they had finally completed the Shikon. They had been fighting about what to do with it, InuYasha still insisting he was going to become full demon. Miroku and the others, Kagome included, told him they didn't want him to risk it. When he became full demon, he was full of blood-lust. What if the change made him that way, permanent. Then Kagome _gave_ him the Shikon, suddenly insisting he had to make his choice. That it was unfair of her to take away his choice. And that he couldn't hide behind her carrying it as an excuse. The choice was his to make.  
He remembered seeing her as she was gathering water. The fireflies around her had seemed like tiny stars, and he had asked her if she wanted him to become human.  
She had gotten so angry.  
InuYasha grinned to himself, remembering how furious she had been. It was _his_ choice, not hers. She wasn't going to tell him anything. And he had gotten angry.  
_"You don't get it, do you?"_ he had hollared at her, as they both stood ankle-deep in the lilly-filled waters, _"This is serious! Whatever choice I make, it's going to be permanent!"  
"Yes, I get it!"_ she had yelled back.  
_"I'm sick of having to think about this! I'm sick of trying to decide what I'm supposed to be! __**Why do I have to change? Why can't I just stay who I am!?"**_  
_"Hallelujah!"_ she had yelled, and had walked forward, hugging him.  
_"Don't you see?"_ she had asked him, holding him, _"You never had to change. You're fine the way you are. Half human, half demon, you have the best of both worlds. You are InuYasha. There is only one of you in the entire world. You should be proud of you who are, what you've done. I am."_  
InuYasha looked up at the trees over head, at the remaining leaves on the tree, and softly smiled, _Kagome._  
Chichiko looked up, saw him smiling softly, and smiled herself, blushing softly.  
"But...where is it you come from?" she asked.  
InuYasha blinked, coming back to the present.  
"Oh, uh..I just...you know." he shrugged, "I wandered around before I met my friends. Here and there."  
"Didn't you have a village you stayed in?"  
He shook his head slightly, "No."  
"I don't understand," she said quietly.  
InuYasha shrugged slightly, feeling uneasy, crossing his arms, "My father died shortly after I was born, and my mother died when I was a kid. I grew up on my own."  
Chichiko looked shocked, "Oh InuYasha, I am so sorry. That's terrible."  
"Eh. I must have done something right, I made it." He walked over to her, noticing her basket was about half full. This was going even faster than he had hoped.  
"Yes, you did," she said softly, "You grew into a ...a wonderful person, InuYasha."  
The hanyou blinked, looking at her, a little startled, "Uh...thanks." He cursed the blush that was threatening to appear on his face, but he hadn't expected Chichiko to compliment him. He never really knew what he was supposed to do when someone did that. He thought he had heard he was supposed to compliment them back.  
"You're...nice too." he said, somewhat lamely. This was still so new to him. He was so used to just letting Kagome do the social things.  
But Chichiko blushed and looked so happy he felt he must have done something right, and relaxed.  
He peered into the basket again, "You said those things make people sleep?"  
She nodded, "That's right. Sliced very thin, they make a wonderful tea."  
InuYasha crouched down, sniffing the blanket, "I think I've had some of it before."  
Chichiko looked at him, "Oh? Have you been ill?"  
InuYasha nodded, then glanced up at her, "That plague that was going around? I came-"  
She leaned back, horrified, "You had the plague?! Oh InuYasha!"  
"No no, it's ok!" he hastened to assure her. He figured she probably thought he was one of the Plague-crazy that wandered the lands for so long after they came into contact with it.  
"I'm fine, I had the antidote."  
Chichiko seemed to settle a little, her eyes searching his face, "Oh thank goodness. You were so lucky to have had the antidote before you became sick. So many died with it. We were lucky too, our healer knew of it, and once we heard it was out there, we all took some of the antidote."  
InuYasha nodded, then shook his head, "Well, no, I didn't have it before. I mean, I got sick."  
He frowned into the basket of mushrooms. He still didn't remember much about it. Fragments of strange dreams came to him, disjointed and making no sense. Being attacked. Neith coming to him and threatening to take his friends again...  
Kagome's voice had been the only constant. He had always heard her voice over it all, even when the actual words madeno sense, her tone, her voice was always there. When he had felt like he was drowing in blackness, he held onto her voice like a rope, using it to pull him back up to the light.  
Kagome had told him he had nearly died. That he had even spoken to her of dying. He had no memory of it...but her tears had been real enough. She had been terrified he was going to die.  
_She had been so scared..._  
"How...how did you live?" Chichiko asked, watching him.  
InuYasha blinked, coming back to the present, "Oh. Apparently Kagome shoved herbal tea down my throat. She probably floated the sickness out of me." He fell silent for a minute, "She looked after me the whole time."  
"You're so lucky, InuYasha."  
"Yeah, I...I am. Miroku and Sango had been in another village when it hit. Luckily there had been an old human woman who remembered the antidote, and they had made some. Took them the whole night to fight their way back to me, to bring me the stuff." There was a strange, fierce pride in his voice. Pride that his friends had fought all night to get back to him. To help him.  
They had been alone.  
He suddenly remembered they had been alone, him and Kagome. Miroku and Sango had been off, seeing to the blessings of triplets in another village. And it had been so warm that night...  
He and Kagome ...  
InuYasha suddenly remembered how it had felt to kiss her. To hold her, so close. How her bare back had felt under his hand, her skin smooth and warm. How it had felt when her fingertips had slipped just under the collar of his shirt, lightly grazing the back of his neck...  
A demon had arrived, sick, but carrying a Shikon jewel fragment, and they had had to stop, going no father than that kiss, those light touches...but how far _would_ it have gone, if that demon hadn't shown up?  
_I miss touching you._  
But the other night...he had held her. And she had let him.  
Chichiko turned, and pulled another basket to her, opening it.  
"You must be hungry. I packed us some food in case we were here a while."  
InuYasha blinked, once again pulled back to the present. He had been about to shake his head, but something caught his nose, and it twitched.

The little blanket was spread out, and they sat, eating. Chichiko had brought several little bowls and pots of things to eat, and they all smelled pretty good. There were several meat meals there, and even a little pastry dessert.  
To InuYasha's surprise, Chichiko turned out to be a good cook, and he had two helpings of just about everything she brought.  
"Where did you learn to cook like this?" he asked.  
She laughed, "My mother taught me."  
He had eaten until he was stuffed, "This is really good."  
Chichiko blushed happily, "Oh, it's just something I learned. Cooking's not that big of a deal."  
"It's a nice change," he said, "Kagome can't cook very well at _all_." He suddenly blinked, looking up at Chichiko, "Don't tell her I said that!"  
Chichiko giggled, "I won't. My mother was a wonderful cook. She was much better than I am. She could cook anything."  
InuYasha's ear caught the past tense, and he looked at her, "She's...passed?"  
Chichiko nodded, "Yes. About 7 years ago, now. Sometimes I still miss her."  
"So was..." InuYasha hesitated. He had never just...socialized with another hanyou like this, and he had no idea if he was following social niceities or about to commit some taboo. He suddenly realized he wanted the answer, and wanted to be able to look at Kagome after it was done, and tell her, "_Thanks for sending me out there to babysit Chichiko. But don't worry, I did great. We ate and talked and everything, just passed the time."_ She was always telling him to just relax and get to know others, so damnit, he'd show her he could do it!  
"InuYasha?" she asked softly.  
"Your mother. Was she the..."  
"Oh," Chichiko smiled, "Yes, my mother was the demon. My father was the human. My mother was a beautiful sea demon. My father was a fisherman. He actually caught my mother in a net!"  
InuYasha blinked as Chichiko covered her mouth, giggling, "Mother said he looked so shocked! She had seen him several times, you see, and knew he was a good man, so one day she decided to let him "catch" her, just to see what he would do. They started talking, and fell in love."  
InuYasha wasn't quite sure what to say. It was so bizarre, talking to another hanyou like it was ordinary, talking about having a demon mother and human father. In a way, it was sort of nice, not having to try and hide anything like that, but it was so weird.  
He wished Kagome were there, to help him out.  
Chichiko started putting the empty bowls away into the basket, packing up.  
"This is going so swiftly," Chichiko said happily, "I'll have all the healer needs in a little while. Again...InuYasha...thank you so much for coming out here with me. I...I didn't worry about anything at all with you here."  
"Eh, it's fine," he said, standing up. He took the blanket, and folded it, handing it to her. Chichiko blinked, looking startled, "Oh. Thank you. You didn't have to..."  
He shrugged, "No reason I can't help." He knew it would be considered odd for a man to have helped "clean up", it being a woman's job, but Kagome had always insisted he pitch in, in most cases, so it was almost second nature now.  
"Kagome's always telling me to do more." he explained to her, and she smiled.  
"You're lucky to have such wonderful friends," she said, walking on a little ways. She bent, starting to pick more mushrooms again.  
"Yeah..." he agreed, falling silent. Suddenly, a thought came to him. When he had seen her earlier, she had been with a woman that looked like a demon, and one that looked like a human.  
"Hey Chichiko?"  
"Yes?" she stopped what she was doing, and looked at him, her green eyes watching him.  
"This morning, you were walking with two other women, right? A demon, and I think, a human."  
"That's right. Chio."  
"Right. Do...how..." he faltered, not knowing what to say.  
"InuYasha?"  
"Chio is a human, right?"  
Chichiko cut down several more mushrooms, and placed them in her basket, "That's right."  
"And there are humans living in your village." He seemed to be simply making a statement, rather than looking for an answer. Chichiko waited.  
"How do you...I mean..."  
She smiled gently, "Just ask me, InuYasha."  
InuYasha huffed slightly, then leaned up against a nearby tree. He crossed his arms, and looked at the ground, trying to collect his thoughts and words.  
"How do you guys get along? I mean, as you age?"  
Chichiko frowned prettily, "I don't understand what you mean."  
"You and Chio are friends, right? Good friends."  
"Yes."  
"But you must have only known each other a few years. I mean, Chio's...what...14? 15?"  
"She's 15."  
"So you've only known her 15 years."  
"That's right."  
"Well, how old are you?"  
"I'm 36."  
"So...I...what will you do when she gets old and dies?"  
Chichiko flinched as if she had been struck, and InuYasha mentally cursed himself, "Shit, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to just come out with it like that!"  
"It's ok," she said quietly.  
"It's just that...my friends...I've only known them a little over a year now, but...they...they're _family_ now. And I've never had humans as friends before." his words were all rushing out of his mouth like a river, "And this guy in the village told me to walk away from them because they were going to age before me and die, and I'd be alone, but I can't just _leave_ them, we've all come through too much now."  
He looked back to her, "So I was...I was wondering how...you deal with it. All the demons and hanyou. How do they just...watch everyone they care about grow old and die?"  
Chichiko gazed sadly into her basket of mushrooms, and spoke softly, "It's hard, InuYasha. It's very hard. I've already lost two very good friends. One to pnumonia. I know that Chio will grow old long before I do, and will likely die before me, due to old age."  
InuYasha walked over to her, and knelt before her, his face intent, "How do you stand it?"  
She smiled sadly at him, "Because I cherish the fact that I knew them. That I cared for them. They made my life happier, and I know I made theirs happier too. So I concentrate on all the joy and happiness we shared, and I keep their memories alive. But it's hard."  
"Yeah..." InuYasha looked to the ground again, not sure he would be able to do it.  
"It's harder for some," Chichiko said softly, "Because they come to love humans. That happened to Tenshio. He fell in love with a human woman, and had to watch as she grew older and died. It left him with a very hard heart."  
InuYasha clenched his fists as they lay inside his sleeves, "Yeah...he told me."  
"He did?" Chichiko said, looking startled, "He rarely talks about it."  
"I think he was trying to warn me," InuYasha said, "About the same thing happening to me."  
"Oh..." Chichiko watched his face closely, "That's very odd. He doesn't ususally talk about that at all."  
"I guess he just didn't want to see it happening to me. So he told me to leave the woman I love and find someone else." he snorted in anger.  
He didn't see Chichiko jump, and she looked at him, startled, "Excuse me? The one you love?"  
InuYasha nodded, looking at her, just now noticing the look on her face, "Chichiko, are you ok?"  
"I...yes...I...I'm fine," she said, her voice suddenly thick and weak. She turned her face from him, and started jerkily cutting down the mushrooms, putting them in the basket haphazardly.  
"What's wrong? You're upset. I shouldn't have asked about that, I just didn't know-"  
"It's ok," she tried to laugh, and failed badly, "I'm fine."  
"Chichiko, you're upset. I said something," he cursed. And here he thought he had been doing so well on his own.  
Chichiko shook her head quickly, and he was suddenly shocked to see her face was red, as were her eyes.  
She was _crying_?  
_What am I supposed to do now? Damnit, why can't Kagome be here? I don't know what I'm supposed to do with a crying woman!_  
"Do you want to go back, or...?"  
"Yes, please," she said, struggling to her feet, "There's so much I have to do today, I completely lost track of time."  
"Chichiko..." InuYasha watched as she gathered up her things, "I know I did, or said, something to upset you. I don't know what it was, but I'm sorry, ok? I'm pretty damn dense at times, but don't take anything I say seriously."  
"It's fine," she said weakly, and peered at him from the corner of her eye. Her face, and her eyes, were still red.  
She juggled the baskets in her hand, and he suddenly realized that as the guy, he was supposed to be carrying them.  
"Here, I'll carry those for you."  
"No, it's ok."  
"No, I should-"  
He reached for them, and his hands bumped hers. She gasped, and recoiled as if she had been scalded, dropping them onto the ground.  
InuYasha blinked at her in confusion as she apologised, and bent, gathering them up again. What was going on? She had been ok with him earlier, why was she suddenly acting like he was diseased?  
Chichiko managed to get her things in order, and she stood. InuYasha had moved to stand before her, so when she looked up, she looked straight up into his face.  
For a second, InuYasha had no idea what was wrong. She was so upset, there was a desperate look on her face, and tears. She looked at him as if she were drowning. He had been about to ask her why she was suddenly terrified of him, when the look hit him like a ton of bricks. Everything fell into place, the escort, the compliments, the shy, soft smiles, even the special lunch.  
InuYasha panicked, backing up a step as if expecting a physical attack. For a brief second, he was tempted to just bolt, and leave her there alone. He had no idea what to say, what to do, even how to _stand_. Should he apologise? But what would he be apologising for? Now what? What was he expected to do?  
He just stood there, utterly shocked, ears flattened.  
Chichiko saw realization dawn on his face, and she turned, burying her face in her sleeves, the basket of mushrooms falling yet again, "I'm so sorry! Please, leave me be."  
"I...uh..." voice cracking in what was practically terror, InuYasha looked at her. What the hell was he supposed to do _now?_  
"I can't just _leave_ you out here," he said lamely, "It's still dangerous."  
"Please," her voice was muffled.  
"I...Chichiko..."  
"I'm so embarassed," she cried, "I wish I could die."  
"Come on now," InuYasha said, weakly, "It's not ...that bad. Let's just...go back. The healer still needs those mushrooms, right?"  
Trying not to cry, Chichiko turned, keeping her face averted from InuYasha, and gathered up her baskets yet again. Head low, she started back on the path to the village. InuYasha walked a little behind her, trying to give her some privacy.  
They walked in silence for a little, and then she spoke again, her voice low, "You must think I'm so terrible."  
"Terrible? Why? It's not ...like you tried ...to kill me or something." InuYasha still had a strange desire to bolt. If she had started talking about her feelings towards him, he probably would have.  
"I was so forward, asking you to come out here like that. I was too bold. It was not seemly."  
"Hey..." InuYasha felt a little kindness towards her, "That's not ...how this world works. If you see something you want, you go for it. Don't let ...something like that stop you from...you know...letting someone know how you feel."  
"Yes," she said weakly, and they kept walking.  
InuYasha wasn't sure what else to say. He felt embarassed, for some reason, and knew she was feeling mortified, even though she hadn't said anything. He wanted her to feel less embarassed, but had no idea what to say.  
"Look..." he said weakly, trying to bolster her spirits, "It's not you or anything. I mean...you...you're cute and everything."  
"Please," she said, "You don't have to."  
"No, really. I mean...you're nice, and polite. And you're cute. I mean...someone's going to just come along any day now, and...I just...  
There's someone else, is all." he finished.  
They walked in silence for a little while, and then she spoke again.  
"I'm so confused."  
"About what?"  
Chichiko glanced over her shoulder at him, feeling a little less horrible about everything, "Well...when I talked to Kagome, she said there wasn't anyone in your life like that."  
InuYasha stopped walking, just stared.  
Alarmed, Chichiko stopped, and looked back at him, "InuYasha?"  
"She...she said that? Kagome said that?"  
Chichiko nodded.  
"When were you talking to Kagome?"  
"Earlier. Before I ran into you. I told her I needed to get some mushrooms, and she asked me to ask if you would escort me, for safety."  
InuYasha walked forward, coming to a stop a few feet in front of Chichiko, "And when did she-"  
"We...we just talked..." Chichiko said, but her face blushed brightly. InuYasha realized they hadn't been talking about the mushrooms.  
"And when-"  
"I just...we talked...and I asked her if..I mean if you...because I didn't want to step on anyone's toes."  
"And?"  
"She told me that you weren't in love with anyone."  
InuYasha looked away quickly, anger rising up inside him. Anger, and hurt. But mostly anger. Why had she done that? What game was she playing? Why did she let poor Chichiko come out here hoping that...  
After all this time, damnit, she was telling people he didn't love her? After all the things he had said to her? All the things he had _done_? Godsdamnit, he even went out one day and _picked flowers for her!_  
Chichiko spoke gently, "Kagome's a nice person, why would she lie to me?"  
Grinding his teeth, InuYasha chose his words, and his tone, carefully. He didn't want to blow up at Chichiko, she had been hurt enough by this.  
"Maybe she didn't know." he bit the words off as he spoke them.  
Chichiko looked a little relived. Still not meeting his face completely, she wasn't aware of the play of emotions washing over it.  
"Yes, that must be it. Kagome wouldn't lie to me."  
Chichiko was feeling a small bit better, seeing InuYasha wasn't mocking her, or saying anything cruel. He seemed embarassed, but was trying his best to handle it well, she could see that. While she was still mortified, she knew it wasn't anything she would die of.  
They entered the village again. Chichiko turned to him, bowing low, still hiding her face, "Thank you, InuYasha, I appreciate the help you gave me. I have a full basket of mushrooms,they will go a long ways."  
"Yeah...uh..." he wanted to say something that would somehow just wipe the whole afternoon away. He felt responsible in some weird, crazy way, like he should be able to do or say something that make her feel perfectly fine. It was weird knowing his presence made someone else feel weird.  
Chichiko started to turn, when he spoke again, "Hey, don't...beat yourself up over this..ok? I mean...we're..still ok, right?"  
Chichiko cast a quick glance at his face, her own face still blushing with embarassment, but there was a grateful look in her eye, "Yes. Of course!"  
He nodded, and watched as she quickly walked back to her hut, slipping inside.  
InuYasha sighed, ears flattening in a weird sense of relief.  
Why the hell hadn't he seen that coming a mile away?  
He cursed. He wasn't exactly the sort of guy women fell over themselves going after, _that_ was why. He didn't have any experience with any of this!  
InuYasha turned back to the path out of the village, narrowing his eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

"Aww, this one is cracked," Kagome said, sighting along an arrow, "Guess it's time to toss it."  
"You should probably purchase some more, Nushi," DarkWind said, peering into the quiver, "You are getting low."  
"You're probably right," she agreed. "There might be a fletcher here in the village."  
If not, there was one nearby, she knew. She remembered meeting Emi of the bow. She must have someone near here that sold arrows.  
Kagome suddenly remembered the challenge she had been issued, to an archery contest...after InuYasha had annoyed Emi by bragging to her. About Kagome's archery skills.  
Emi's voice flashed through her mind, _"He told me someone named __**Kagome**__ was a __**much**__ better archer than I was! Said she had more skill, and was more talented at it! Said she was cuter than me, too!"_  
Kagome faltered as she gazed down at her bow.  
_I wonder...I wonder where they are, right now._  
"Uh...Nushi?"  
Kagome looked up at DarkWind, and saw him looking back the way they had come. He had an odd look on his face. Kagome turned, following his gaze, and was surprised to see InuYasha walking towards her.  
For a second, she was confused, wondering why he had come out there, but she suddenly saw the look on his face, and her heart sank.  
"Oh no," she murmured, "Oh no, oh _no_."  
"_Kagome! I want to talk to you!"_  
He wasn't angry, he was utterly livid.  
Kagome dropped the arrows she had been holding, utterly shocked, and not knowing what on earth to do. What had happened? Had Chichiko told him something? What was she going to do?  
She bent, picking up the fallen arrows in her hands, stuffing them wildly into her quiver as he marched up to her, and stood before her.  
Steeling herself, Kagome stood up, and looked into his face.  
His golden eyes were fixed on her, and Kagome shivered. She had never seen him looking so angry, not at _her_.  
"Well you did it this time, congradulations!" he practically snarled, "I hope you're happy."  
"What...InuYasha, what are you talking about?" she asked, weakly.  
"I'm talking about what you did! _What the hell did you think you were doing?!_ You utterly mortified Chichiko, she's in her hut and probably won't come out for days!"  
"I don't-"  
"I think if a hole had opened up then and there she would have crawled into it and died! Who the hell told you to play _match-maker!?"_  
Kagome's heart started to pound. Oh he was angry. He was _so_ angry.  
"You had no right doing this! I don't need someone trying to set me up with someone I don't even _know!_ I don't need someone setting me up with anyone!"  
"Inu-"  
"You sent her out there thinking her and I might get together!? Really?! So, what, you just decided to throw me to the nearest person, is that it!?"  
"NO!" Kagome cried, shaking her head. She could feel tears threatening, she was upset and a little scared. He hadn ever yelled at her like that, "It's not like that at all!"  
He crossed his arms, "So what were _you_ going to get out of this deal, huh?"  
"Stop it!" Kagome yelled, "You're talking like I was selling you off or something! It wasn't like that!"  
"Then what was it like, Kagome, huh? Tell me!"  
DarkWind stepped forward, frowning, "InuYasha-Warrior, low-'  
InuYasha rounded on DarkWind, hands out, claws flashing. DarkWind blinked, startled, only managing to phase out before the hanyou's claws landed.  
_"You stay the hell out of this!"_ InuYasha roared, _"This is between me and her, __**it's none of your business!**__"_  
_~DarkWind, go.~_ Kagome mentally spoke.  
_~Nushi, are you sure? I don't-~  
~Please.~_ she said, miserably.  
Unhappily, DarkWind faded from sight.  
InuYasha, seeing the Kageri vanish, turned, and glared at her again. His golden gaze felt it was burning holes in her.  
"So? Go ahead, you were going to _explain_ all this!"  
"I...I just..." Kagome swallowed, and tried to marshall her words, "This is such a wonderful village, InuYasha. I mean...there are so many here, and no one looks down on anyone else, or...I thought, this would be a perfect place for you! If you could just find someone here...I mean, _you're_ hanyou, and _she_-"  
InuYasha took a step back.  
She knew it was a mistake the minute it left her mouth, only she couldn't pull it back in again. The look of utter shock, then a flash of hurt, on InuYasha's face, hit her like a punch in the stomach. But the anger welled back to the surface.  
"Oh, I see it now! Sure! Makes sense, right? _I'm_ hanyou, so I should just be paired with the _nearest_ hanyou. Keeping those alike together! Just throw us in a pen or something, right!?"  
"No!" Kagome tried to wipe the tears from her eyes, cursing them, "That's not what I meant and you kn-!"  
"Well it sure as hell _sounded_ like it's what you meant," he growled, "And stop crying. Just stop it right now."  
Kagome sniffled, trying her best to force them back, swallowing hard. Everything had gone to hell so quickly. She had known she was risking him being upset, but she didn't expect him to be angry. Not like this. Not at her. InuYasha was never angry at _her_.  
"Listen, Inu-"  
"I've heard enough," he said, his voice low and hard, "This takes the cake. I don't know what to say, I don't even know what to _think_. It's bad enough you humiliated Chichiko. That's bad enough."  
"I'm so-"  
"But you told her I didn't love anyone!" he roared at her, fangs flashing, "If you don't care about me anymore, I can't do anything about that, _but don't you dare deny my love for you!"_  
Kagome sobbed, "I'm sorry, InuYasha, I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking, I-"  
"Yeah, you "weren't thinking"," he said, turning away. He couldn't meet her eyes anymore, "You _thought_ too damn much."  
He turned, and started walking away from her, away from the village.  
Kagome wiped the tears from her eyes, voice full of tears, "InuYasha? Where are you going?"  
"Out there somewhere," he called back over his shoulder, "I don't feel like company tonight."  
"But..." she fell silent, watching as he walked to the edge of the forest, and leapt into the trees, vanishing from sight within minutes.  
Kagome turned, looking back to where she had spilled her arrows. Silently, she walked to them, and started picking them up.  
She put one back into the quiver, and picked up another. Kagome gazed at it in silence for a second, then burst into tears, sittting on the ground.  
DarkWind appeared beside her, kneeling, "Ah Nushi."  
_"Why was I so stupid?!"_ she sobbed, "I should have known how he'd feel. I treated him like a book or s-s-something, to just be t-t-traded away."  
DarkWind touched her shoulder, and she turned, her hands over her face, leaning against his chest, sobbing.  
"_I've always told him it didn't matter b-b-being a h-hanyou, and then I g-go and ss-say that! I'm so STUPID!"_  
DarkWind sighed, lightly patting her back, "No, Nushi, you are not stupid. But you made a terrible mistake."  
"I could see the hurt in his face when it came out. Oh God, I never meant it like that at all! I hurt him, DarkWind, I hurt him so much."  
DarkWind lightly brushed her hair, and held her while she cried.

The moon was starting to grow in the sky. The new moon was over, and it was growing towards full. Soon there would be a full moon, nice and bright.  
InuYasha sat up in the tree, back to the trunk, eyes closed, arms crossed, one foot dangling over the edge.  
His fingers tapped a frenzied rhythm on his upper arms, trying to calm himself down. Emotions surged inside him, each fighting for control. The hanyou had no idea what to do with any of them. He had run until he was almost exhausted. But his mind wasn't.  
_How could she __**do**__ that? Just...try to set me and Chichiko up? Am I that much of a bother to have around? Is my love for her that annoying, that upsetting? GodsDamnit, Kagome, why did you do that? How could you just...try to give me away to someone?_  
Her voice came to him, _"I mean, __**you're**__ hanyou, and __**she**__-"_  
His mental voice was vicious, angry, _Yeah. I'm hanyou. I'm __**different**__. I should be with my own __**kind**__._  
He opened his eyes, looking down to the ground below. Maybe he should run again. Just run and run until he was so tired he could sleep.  
_You're always telling me it didn't matter I'm hanyou. You told me you didn't care. You told me it meant nothing. Were they all lies? Were you just lying to me __**all this time?**_  
InuYasha glared out over the forest.  
_She wants me gone so GodsDamn bad, maybe I should go find Kikyo and stay away for a while._  
He clenched his fists.  
He didn't _want_ to find Kikyo. He wanted Kagome. And he wanted her to tell him this whole thing had been a stupid dream he had had, one that made no sense, one that he could just forget. _That_ was what he wanted.  
He sighed, putting a hand to his face.  
_I just want to sleep. I want to wake up in the hut and learn this was a stupid dream._  
A blur of colors formed beside him, and he reached for his Tetsusaiga, tensing.  
He relaxed his hold on the blade when he saw it was DarkWind phasing into being near him, but he didn't relax.  
"You get the hell away from me," InuYasha snarled, "I don't want to see your face."  
DarkWind appeared to be standing on nothing as he stood near InuYasha. The Kageri spoke, "I came to speak to you of Nushi, InuYasha-Warrior."  
He glared, and started to rise, "I don't want to hear anything she's sent you to tell me, DarkWind, go the hell home."  
"Nushi did not send me, InuYasha-Warrior, I came on my own. Nushi does not know I am here."  
InuYasha paused, narrowing his eyes, "I didn't think you could do that."  
"Nor did I," the Kageri said, startling InuYasha. But DarkWind pushed on.  
"Nushi would be very angry with me if she knew I was here, InuYasha-Warrior, so please, hear me out. I do this because I want to help her."  
InuYasha turned, presenting his back to DarkWind, standing on a branch, "I told you, I'm not interested in hearing anything you, or she, has to say. Get lost."  
"InuYasha-Warrior, Nushi did what she did because she is frightened."  
"Frightened? Oh please, frightened of what?"  
"Of you."  
InuYasha did not move, "Give me a break."  
"Of her feelings for you, InuYasha-Warrior."  
An ear moved. There was a pause, and slowly, InuYasha turned, looking over his shoulder at DarkWind. His eyes were narrowed, distrustful, "What are you saying?"  
DarkWind sighed, "InuYasha-Warrior...Nushi has told you, many times, she does not care for you in the manner of a lover anymore, that you are as a friend to her."  
"Yeah, so?"  
"She is lying."  
InuYasha blinked, turning completely around, "What...what are you saying?"  
DarkWind rubbed his face. He was completely going against his Nushi, and it felt so horribly wrong. Yet how was he to help her, if he did not talk to InuYasha-Warrior and make him understand?  
He blinked when he felt InuYasha grab his arm, "Talk to me, what are you saying?"  
"I must have your word on this, InuYasha-Warrior. You must never tell Nushi I am telling you what I am telling you."  
Anger crossed his face, _"Just tell me what you-"_  
"No!" DarkWind pulled his arm out of InuYasha's grasp, "I am going against my Nushi's orders. I should not even be able to do this, InuYasha-Warrior. I want to help her _and_ you, but I will not if you cannot promise me you will do your very best keeping from her that I am breaking my bond to her."  
InuYasha muttered a curse, but nodded, "Fine. I promise. I'll do everything I possibly can to keep her from knowing you're telling me...whatever it is you're telling me!"  
DarkWind nodded, then settled on the branch next to InuYasha. InuYasha seated himself, watching the Kageri closely.  
"Nushi loves you, InuYasha-Warrior. It _is_ there, deep within her heart. A lover's love, not a friend's. I know this for a certainty, because I have seen it in her heart."  
InuYasha looked to the forest floor, eyes wide, his heart pounding. She loved him? _She loved him again?_  
He gathered himself, getting ready to leap to the forest floor. DarkWind grabbed his sleeve, yanking him back down, "Where do you think you are going!?"  
Golden eyes glared at black ones, "I...you just..."  
DarkWind muttered something that InuYasha guessed was a curse in some strange language, and then spoke again, "I just _told_ you you cannot go running back to her and tell her I let you know!"  
"You think I'm just gonna sit here, and-"  
"Yes, because you have no choice!"  
InuYasha blinked.  
"You must let me finish. Nushi loves you, but it is hidden so tightly within herself, InuYasha-Warrior, that she has only just now become aware of it. And the brutal, simple truth is that she does _not want_ to love you in that manner."  
_"What!? Why!?"_  
"Because you hurt her," DarkWind said, and his voice hardened, "You hurt her, InuYasha-Warrior. More than once. Each time you tell her you love only her, and then you run off again. Do you not see how she would desire to be free of that?"  
InuYasha fell silent, mentally cursing. After a second, he looked away, "Yeah."  
The kageri's voice softened, "But it _is_ there, InuYasha-Warrior. It is. And because Nushi sensed this, she panicked. She did not want to just toss you away. She truly thought that this Chichiko would be a good match for you."  
"Because she's _hanyou_?"  
"Yes. Because, as hanyou, you would understand each other, you would never feel uneasy around her, and you would be more likely to settle in this village, surrounded by others."  
InuYasha settled a little, seething. What DarkWind said made sense. It did sound like something Kagome would do...would consider.  
But it still hurt. And he still seethed.  
"So what the hell do you suggest I do? Just pretend I _don't know_ that there might be some sort of _chance?"_  
"Yes."  
_"Don't be an idiot, I can't do that!"_  
DarkWind looked closely at InuYasha, and spoke, "InuYasha-Warrior, how much do you love Nushi?"  
InuYasha blinked, leaning back a little, "Wh-what?"  
"How much do you love her?"  
"I..that..."  
DarkWind frowned, "If you cannot answer such a simple question, it does not bode well."  
"Shut up! I love her, alright? I'd do anything for her! I've done some pretty Godsdamn stupid stuff, and I'll probably keep doing it, if she asks!"  
DarkWind smiled, "Excellent. Willingness to make a fool of oneself is a wonderful measurement of affection!"  
"What? Are you cr-'  
"Now then. If you truly wish to win her back, InuYasha-Warrior, you are going to have to be strong. Perhaps stronger than you have ever been."  
"What are you talking about?"  
"If you approach Nushi with this, InuYasha-Warrior, if you start talking to her about how you feel, especially hinting that you are aware that perhaps she feels the same, I tell you Nushi will _bolt_. She will push you away, and shove the love in her heart so deep it may never see the light of day again."  
InuYasha fell silent.  
"You have started fire before, yes? With two pieces of wood?"  
"Er...yeah," InuYasha blinked, confused. Wood?  
"Then you know you cannot rush the fire. You must create the friction, the warmth. Add the shavings, the food on which the fire is to grow, and breathe ever so gently on it. Only when the warmth finally makes the first flame, can you feed that fire. When you see the first flicker of flame, you do not start piling wood upon it. You keep your eye on it and feed it small pieces of wood to make it grow."  
InuYasha said nothing.  
"So it will be with Nushi's love, InuYasha-Warrior. You must not push her, in any way. Add warmth, make sure there are shavings, and patiently wait for the flames."  
"That's what I've been doing all this time!" InuYasha growled, "And it's getting me _nowhere!_"  
"Ah," DarkWind smiled, "But now you have already seen the first flame, yes? You now know it has lit."  
InuYasha fell silent. He looked at the Kageri. Memories of holding Kagome in the cave came back to him, the warmth, the softness of her voice.  
_She let me hold her._  
DarkWind stood up, "I will return now. Nushi is...she is very upset over what has happened, InuYasha-Warrior. I will try to make her see things are not as bad as they truly seem. You, I assume, will stay out here tonight?"  
"Yeah, I..." InuYasha sat on the branch again, looking out over the forest, not really seeing any of it, "I'm still angry. It's stupid, but..."  
"It is not stupid. Things are as they are. Rest here, and return in the morning. She will most likely wish to talk and talk of this, and apologise until she is blue in the face. And cry. You will let her. And you will accept her apology."  
InuYasha glared at him, "You just said she didn't mean-"  
"Nor did she. But unless you accept her apology, she will think you hate her. So even though you both know no offense was meant, you will tell her you accept, and that will make her happier, and thus you will both be able to relax a little more around each other. It is good."  
DarkWind stood up again, on nothing, and prepared to leave.  
"Hey, wait."  
The Kageri looked over his shoulder at InuYasha. The hanyou was looking hard at him.  
"Why are you helping me?"  
DarkWind blinked, "InuYasha-Warrior?"  
"Why are you helping me? You told me you loved Kagome, so why bother helping me?"  
DarkWind turned, and spoke gently, "I told you once, InuYasha-Warrior, that Kageri do not feel jealousy. I do love Nushi. I would not be offended nor upset if she came to you for love. As long as she is happy, I am happy. Besides...I like you, InuYasha-Warrior. You and Nushi are good for each other."  
InuYasha blinked.  
"Although, please be aware," DarkWind spoke, "That if you ever hurt my Nushi, I would be forced to harm you. And I would truly hate to do so."  
InuYasha blinked again, "Hey, don't you tell-"  
DarkWind phased out.

He re-appeared next to her, as she lay, sleeping. She had returned to the hut late, not wanting to talk to Miroku or Sango. She had cried herself into exhaustion, and when she slipped into her sleeping bag, she had gone out like a light.  
DarkWind studied her sleeping face, and smiled. He gently leaned forward, and placed a kiss on her cheek.  
_Do not worry, my Nushi. I will make all things right for you, you will see. And you will smile again._  
He settled down beside her, closed his eyes, and slept.

END


End file.
